Families Raise Questions Over Unpaid Estate Sale Proceeds From Quincy Business

Social media complaints, Better Business Bureau records and a previous contract dispute are drawing scrutiny to Estate Sales by Janet. The business has not responded to Quincy Current’s requests for comment.

Story Updated 09/06/2026 [Added information regarding Illinois Laws governing Illinois Estate Sales]

QUINCY, Ill. Families often turn to estate sale companies during some of the most difficult periods of their lives, trusting a business to inventory, price and sell the possessions left behind after a death, a move or the closing of a longtime family home.

For at least two Quincy-area families, that process has instead ended with questions over money they say they have yet to receive.

Family members have recently taken to social media alleging that after hiring Estate Sales by Janet to conduct sales of personal property, proceeds they understood were owed to them were not paid within the timeframe specified in their agreements.

Quincy Current has reviewed those allegations, examined publicly available Better Business Bureau information and searched Adams County court records for previous civil litigation involving the business owner.

The records raise questions that Quincy Current sought to address directly with the business.

As of publication, owner Janet Emberton had not responded to emails or messages seeking comment.

The allegations described in this report have not been proven in court, and Quincy Current is not alleging theft, fraud or criminal conduct. The disputes described by the families concern contractual payments they say remain outstanding.

Families say payments did not arrive

One family told Quincy Current that it entered into a written agreement with Estate Sales by Janet to handle an estate sale.

According to the family, the agreement stated that its portion of the proceeds would be paid in full within 14 days following completion of the sale.

The family says that deadline passed without payment.

Family members said they subsequently attempted to contact the business about the proceeds but were unsuccessful in obtaining payment or resolving the matter.

Another family has publicly described a similar experience following an estate sale.

Quincy Current is withholding the families’ names from this report because the central issue can be examined through the contracts, public records and business practices involved without unnecessarily identifying people dealing with family estates.

One family member who publicly raised the issue said the decision to post about the experience on Facebook came after discussing the matter with siblings and deciding against hiring an attorney.

The family member told Quincy Current that the goal had become less about recovering the money than making other families aware of their experience.

“I felt Facebook would get the word out and save other families the heartbreak. We are not even concerned about the money, just bringing awareness.”

The family member also said the decision was influenced by reviewing previous court records and concluding that pursuing litigation would require spending additional money in an attempt to recover what the family believes it is already contractually owed.

After speaking with one of the families already involved in the dispute, Quincy Current was referred to another individual who said he had experienced a similar problem. The individual told Quincy Current that he hired Estate Sales by Janet to conduct an estate sale in October 2025 for his mother-in-law after she had been diagnosed with dementia and moved into an assisted living facility. He said he had become her guardian and held power of attorney. She died in July 2026.

The individual alleges that, despite the sale having taken place nearly a year earlier, he has not received any payment from Estate Sales by Janet for the proceeds from the property. He also said his calls and text messages to the business have gone unanswered.

What the business says it does

Estate Sales by Janet describes itself as a Quincy-based business conducting estate, moving and downsizing sales throughout the Tri-State area.

According to its website, the company sets up and prices property before conducting sales inside customers’ homes, typically over one to three days. The website also advertises consignor sales from its office at 2001 Jefferson Street in Quincy.

The Better Business Bureau identifies the company as a sole proprietorship owned by Janet Emberton and says the business began operating locally in 2015.

The nature of an estate sale arrangement means substantial trust can be placed in the company conducting the sale. The business may be handling property accumulated over decades while also accounting for numerous individual transactions before determining the amount ultimately due to the property owner.

It is that final accounting and payment process that is at the center of the complaints reviewed by Quincy Current.

BBB records contain similar allegations

The concerns raised on social media are not the only publicly available complaints involving payment.

As of Friday, the Better Business Bureau gives Estate Sales by Janet an F rating and lists two complaints during the previous three years. Both are categorized by BBB as unanswered. BBB states that its rating is based in part on the business failing to respond to the two complaints. The company is not BBB accredited.

One complaint filed in May 2026 describes an estate sale agreement that, according to the complainant, required the family’s portion of the proceeds to be paid within 14 days. The complainant alleged that approximately 45 days had passed after the sale without receiving the proceeds or requested sales records.

A separate complaint filed in May 2025 alleged that a family entered into an agreement under which the business would retain 45 percent of sale proceeds and the family would receive 55 percent along with an itemized accounting. The complainant alleged that payment had still not been received after the sale. BBB categorizes that complaint as unanswered as well.

A December 2025 customer review posted to BBB contains another allegation that proceeds from an estate sale were not received after the sale was completed.

There is an important limitation to those records.

BBB expressly states that it does not verify the accuracy of information submitted by third parties, and a complaint or customer review is not equivalent to a court finding. Quincy Current also has not determined whether any of the people behind the BBB submissions are the same individuals who have recently posted concerns on social media. For that reason, the complaints should not be counted as necessarily representing separate families.

What can be established is that complaints describing similar payment issues have been publicly filed over more than one year.

Previous civil case found in Adams County records

Quincy Current also reviewed Adams County court records while examining whether similar disputes had previously resulted in litigation.

Those records show that Emberton was involved in a prior civil case (2026LM15) that included a breach-of-contract dispute and also involved former Quincy Public Schools Superintendent Todd Pettit.

The case was ultimately dismissed with prejudice.

That previous lawsuit should not be interpreted as evidence that the allegations being made by families today are true.

A civil complaint contains allegations made by parties to litigation, not findings of fact by a court. Likewise, the dismissal of a case with prejudice prevents the same claims from simply being brought again, but the existence of that disposition alone should not be portrayed as a finding that either party committed wrongdoing.

Quincy Current is including the case because it is part of the publicly available history involving a contract dispute connected to the business owner, not because it establishes a pattern of misconduct.

Changing Illinois Laws Governing Estate Sales

Quincy Current sought the business owner’s response

Quincy Current contacted Estate Sales by Janet through email and messages to the business seeking a response to the concerns raised by the families.

No response had been received as of publication.

The opportunity to respond remains open, and we will publish any responses.

If Emberton provides documentation, an explanation concerning the disputed payments or a response to the families’ allegations, Quincy Current will review that information and update this report accordingly.

In a Facebook post from the Sales By Janet Facebook account, a statement that responded to criticism directed at the business, saying there are “always two sides to every story” and acknowledging that she has made mistakes while trying to correct them and improve. They wrote that they are proud of the business, values the customers and does not publicly discuss private matters involving clients. They also stated that she does not “run or hide” when she believes she is in the wrong, said she works to “make my wrongs right,” and maintained that she would continue serving Quincy and surrounding communities. The post did not specifically address the individual families’ allegations regarding outstanding estate sale proceeds or provide details concerning the disputed payments.

A warning for families handling estates

The complaints highlight the importance of understanding an estate sale agreement before turning over property for sale.

Families considering an estate liquidation may want written answers identifying the company’s commission, expenses that can be deducted, how sales will be documented, when an accounting will be provided, when proceeds must be remitted and what happens to unsold property.

They may also want to retain their own inventory, photographs and copies of every agreement and communication associated with the sale.

Those precautions do not presume that a dispute will occur. They simply provide both sides with a clearer record if questions arise afterward.

For the Quincy families now speaking publicly, the issue is more immediate.

They say sales were conducted, property changed hands and contractual payment deadlines passed without the proceeds they expected.

Whether there is another explanation remains a question Quincy Current has put to the business.

Until Estate Sales by Janet responds, it is a question that remains unanswered.